Our Family Dinner Book Club selection for the month of July is The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren. Here you’ll find a menu that can be prepared with the help of your children, and will hopefully be a fun and interactive activity for the whole family. Head over to Growing Book by Book for some talking points to get the conversation started as well as an idea for a family service project. Then visit Sunny Day Family for a fun craft. We invite you to share a picture from your dinner with us anytime during the month on our Family Dinner Book Club Facebook page.

This was such a fun book to read. Another great one from the author of Pippi Longstocking – and who doesn’t love Pippi?! Of course we’re headed to Sweden again, but this time we’re traveling to Sweden in the summer. The main character, Lisa, celebrates her birthday in this book, and my birthday is in July – so let’s have a celebration! We have 3 cakes, just like Lisa had at her birthday party. Bring your stuffed animals and dolls, and don’t forget your appetite!

In Sweden they have a massive Midsummer celebration which, for many people, kicks off a 5 week vacation (5 WEEK VACATION!) so I took inspiration from these parties to craft my menu. Crayfish are popular Swedish fare, but I wasn’t able to find any locally, so I substituted shrimp in my menu. Since it is summer I grilled the shrimp and the potatoes so I would have less cooking to do in the hot kitchen.

In Sweden they have a “right to public access” which gives everyone the ability to forage for food. So go get your forage on! Find some fresh berries to eat with dinner and wildflowers to adorn the table.